Monthly surge in organic search impressions
Increase in clicks, January vs December
Ranking for “St Valentine restaurant London”
High-authority backlinks secured
Client & context
Aki London brings Kyoto craftsmanship and Tokyo energy to a Grade II-listed former bank on Cavendish Square, Marylebone. 80 covers, a late-night lounge, and one of the few UK licences to serve authentic Kobe beef. World-class product — but as a new opening, great food alone doesn’t earn Google’s trust.
The challenge
- Low domain authority: a fresh domain struggling to rank for non-branded terms against established giants like Nobu and Zuma
- Seasonal timing: the January post-Christmas slump is notorious in hospitality — maintaining momentum required a flawless SEO strategy
- Discovery friction: diners searching “authentic Kobe beef” or “best sushi Marylebone” weren’t finding Aki in the top 3 results
Strategy & execution
A trust and relevance strategy designed to signal maturity to Google fast — targeting specific high-intent niches rather than fighting broad terms, combined with editorial link building from tier-one publications.
Secured high-authority backlinks
Earned coverage and links from Forbes (DR 94), Standard.co.uk (DR 89), and Wallpaper* — sending strong trust signals to search algorithms.
Launched seasonal campaign pages
Built a dedicated Valentine’s Day page well ahead of the date, optimised to capture early planners and rank before competitors reacted.
Built the Kobe beef content pillar
Created deep-dive content around Aki’s rare Kobe licence, answering specific high-intent questions to capture premium diners at the research stage.
Targeted niche, high-intent terms
Focused on specific searches like “Kobe beef certification London” and “best Japanese Marylebone” rather than unwinnable broad terms.
Results
- Trust gap bridged: achieved #2 ranking for “Authentic Kobe Beef”, placing Aki in front of the highest-spending demographic
- New audiences reached: non-branded traffic now accounts for 12% of visits, a key indicator of growing discovery beyond existing fans
- January was a record month: typically the quietest period in hospitality — for Aki it delivered the strongest organic performance since launch